About Gordon

Living alone on a reporter's salary meant Gordon Dritschilo had to learn how to cook, which he threw himself into with a geekish passion. In the process, went from the sort of person who orders a cheeseburger at a fancy restaurant to having a reputation as the guy who will eat anything.

04/24/2012

What to do with aging cider, part two: Cider-Glazed Carrots

I have mentioned glazed carrots before, and I'm sure other variants will appear here in the future, as I find it one of those infinitely modifiable base recipes.

The beauty of glazed carrots is that they are hands-off for most of the cooking process, and, if started before everything else you are making, can be timed to finish just before plating through careful adjustment of the heat.

You must be careful not to completely neglect them, though, as the liquid always seems to disappear much faster toward the end of cooking, and they can wind up scorched if you turn your attention elsewhere for too long at the wrong moment.

Cider-Glazed Carrots

1 pound carrots, cut into roughly pinkie-sized chunks.

1 tablespoon (give or take) ground ginger

enough cider to come about halfway up the carrots in a large saucepan or deep frying pan

enough water to just cover the carrots once the cider is poured over them

1 generous pat of butter

salt and pepper to taste

Put the carrots, ginger, butter and the liquid into a saucepan or deep frying pan -- they don't have to be in a single layer, but the shallower the pile, the quicker the process -- and bring to a boil. Stir around for a minute or two and drop to a simmer.

How long this needs to cook depends on the size of the carrots, but half an hour is probably the minimum. I don't generally worry about overcooking this -- is there really such a thing as an overcooked carrot?

Continue to cook until the liquid is almost completely gone, adjusting the heat to fit your timing needs and keeping a watchful eye as the liquid level drops. Stir to make sure the carrots are well covered by the sticky film that is starting to form, season with the salt and pepper and serve.